Product filling system

ABSTRACT

A product filling system ( 100 ) includes a first multi-lane conveyor ( 106 ) for receiving products and a second multi-lane conveyor ( 110 ) for receiving the products from the first multi-lane conveyor ( 106 ). The first multi-lane conveyor ( 106 ) and the second multi-lane conveyor ( 110 ) include a plurality of independently movable belts controlled by a controller ( 128 ). First and second camera systems ( 108, 112 ) inspect first and second portions of the products on the plurality of belts and judge whether each of the products is defective or not defective.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority from pendingU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/907,789 filed Apr. 17, 2007.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The technical field relates generally to inspecting and distributing ofpills, tablets, capsules, and the like, and, more particularly, to anapparatus and method for inspecting such pills, tablets, capsules, andthe like and distributing into containers.

BACKGROUND

In the post-production stage of small objects such as tablets, pills,capsules, and the like, which will be referred to here collectively asproducts, it is necessary to inspect the products for defects, removeproducts judged as being defective, and accurately fill a container,package or the like with the products judged not to be defective.Inspection can be performed manually, but such an approach is notfeasible for a production line that may be producing or packagingthousands of the products per hour.

An automated product filling system can be used to perform the abovecontainer filling or packaging. However, conventional product fillingsystems fail to achieve the level of inspection needed, and also fail toinclude necessary safeguards for ensuring that products judged as beingdefective are not inadvertently packaged or bottled and that an accuratenumber of non-defective products are being packaged or bottled.

Recently, automated product filling systems are being operated inmulti-product environments in which various products are beingdistributed to containers on the same system. The system may need todistinguish between different products to ensure that a particularproduct is distributed into its designated container, particularly whenthe product is a tablet or pill for prescription medicine.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, one or more embodiments of the present invention provide aproduct filling system including a first multi-lane conveyor having aplurality of independently movable primary feeding belts with holdingdevices for storing the products in a state in which a first portion ofthe products faces in a first direction. A first camera system isconfigured to inspect the first portion of the products on the pluralityof primary feeding belts. The system further includes a secondmulti-lane conveyor for receiving the products from the first multi-laneconveyor. The second multi-lane conveyor includes a plurality ofindependently movable transfer belts, each of which has apertures forstoring the products in a state in which a second portion of theproducts faces in a second direction. A second camera system isconfigured to inspect the second portion of the products on theplurality of transfer belts of the second multi-lane conveyor. Acontroller is configured to independently control each of the primaryfeeding belts and the transfer belts.

The first and second camera systems judge whether each of the productsis defective, not defective or missing. The system can include arejection receptacle for receiving products judged to be defective bythe first camera system and the second camera system.

The camera systems can be further configured to count the productsjudged to be not defective and the products judged to be defective, andthe controller can be further configured to suspend movement of one ofthe transfer belts when a predetermined number of products judged to benot defective for the one of the transfer belts has been released into acontainer.

One or more embodiments of the present invention also provide a methodof inspecting products and distributing the inspected products intocontainers. The method according to a first aspect includes distributingthe products on a first multi-lane conveyor including a plurality ofindependently controlled primary feeding belts in a state in which afirst portion of the products faces in a first direction; inspecting thefirst portion of the products to judge if the products are defective ornot defective; distributing the products on a second multi-lane conveyorincluding a plurality of independently controlled transfer belts in astate in which a second portion of the products faces in a seconddirection; inspecting the second portion of the products to judge if theproducts are defective or not defective; and filling the containers withthe products judged to be not defective based upon the inspecting of thefirst portion and based upon the inspecting of the second portion.

The method according to a second aspect further includes counting anumber of the products judged to be defective or not defective.

The method according to a third aspect further includes depositingproducts judged to be defective in a rejection receptacle and verifyingthat a number of the products deposited in the rejection receptacle isequal to the number of products judged to be defective.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, which together with the detailed descriptionbelow are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve tofurther illustrate various exemplary embodiments and to explain variousprinciples and advantages in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a product filling systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 1B is rear perspective view of the product filling system;

FIG. 1C is a left side elevation view of the product filling system;

FIG. 1D is a top plan view of the product filling system;

FIG. 1E is a right side elevation view of the product filling system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the product filling system according to theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of operatingthe product filling system;

FIG. 4A is an exemplary top plan view of the junction between the firstand second multi-lane conveyers; and

FIG. 4B is an exemplary bottom plan view of the junction between thefirst and second multi-lane conveyers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The instant disclosure is provided to further explain in an enablingfashion the best modes of performing one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. The disclosure is further offered to enhance anunderstanding and appreciation for the inventive principles andadvantages thereof, rather than to limit in any manner the invention.The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including anyamendments made during the pendency of this application and allequivalents of those claims as issued.

It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as firstand second, and the like, if any, are used solely to distinguish onefrom another entity, item, or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities,items or actions. It is noted that some embodiments may include aplurality of processes or steps, which can be performed in any order,unless expressly and necessarily limited to a particular order; i.e.,processes or steps that are not so limited may be performed in anyorder.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1E, a product filling system 100 for sorting,inspecting and filling small objects such as tablets, pills, capsules,and the like, which will be referred to here collectively as products,into containers according to an exemplary embodiment will be discussed.Although not shown here, the product filling system 100 can be mountedto or integrated within a mono-block bottle handling system.

The product filling system 100 includes a bulk hopper 102 for feeding orfilling the products into a flood feeder 104, a first multi-lane(inspection) conveyor 106 for receiving the products from the floodfeeder 104, a first camera system 108 for inspecting the products on thefirst multi-lane conveyor 106, a second multi-lane (pickup) conveyor 110for receiving the products from the first multi-lane conveyor 106, asecond camera system 112 for inspecting the products on the secondmulti-lane conveyor 110, a rejection receptacle 114 for receivingproducts judged to be defective, and stationary funnels 116 forreceiving products judged not to be defective, counting the products anddistributing (or dispensing) the products to containers 118. The aboveportions of the product filling system 100 will be discussed more fullybelow.

The bulk hopper 102 includes a product hopper 120 for receiving theproducts from a source, and a vibratory feeder 124 for feeding theproducts into the flood feeder 104. The vibratory feeder 124 can becoupled to a capacitive proximity sensor mounted on the flood feeder 104to feed the products into the flood feeder 104 on demand. The floodfeeder 104 is for placing the products onto the first multi-laneconveyer 106. The flood feeder 104 can be, for example, a three stageflood feed, including three independent brushes and three independentstirring heads.

The first multi-lane conveyor 106 includes a plurality of belts 106a-106 e as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1D, which will be referred to here asprimary feeding belts. The primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e can be, forexample, timing type belts, including fixtures or holding devices 402(see FIGS. 4A-4B) attached thereto (product storing means). Generally,the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e are configured to receive theproducts from the flood feeder 104 and securely store and transport theproducts in the holding devices 402 in a state in which a first portionof the products faces upwards or generally in a first direction. Theproduct can remain in the holding devices 402 by force of gravity or byreceiving vacuum from a vacuum pump (not shown). The holding devices 402can include machined pockets which accommodate and transport theproduct. Although in this example five primary feeding belts 106 a-106eare shown, it should be appreciated that the product filling system 100is not limited to this number of feeding belts. For example, the system100 could include as few as one primary feeding belt. 100281 The firstmulti-lane conveyor 106 can also include dead plates (not shown) locatedbetween adjacent belts in order to fill the gaps between the primaryfeeding belts 106 a-106 e. The dead plates can be composed of, forexample, Delrin, and can be formed to be slightly chamfered in order toforce products toward the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e.

A driving device 126 is coupled to the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 efor independently moving each of the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 ebased upon control signals received from a controller 128 (see FIG. 2).In this exemplary embodiment, the driving device 126 includes aplurality of servo-motors 126 a-126 e mechanically coupled to theprimary feeding belts 106 a-106 e, respectively. The controller 128 canactivate or de-activate a particular one of the servo-motors 126 a-126 eto move or stop movement of a respective one of the primary feedingbelts 106 a-106 e. Although in this example the servo-motors 126 a-126 eare shown coupled to the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e at a bottomside of the system 100, it should be appreciated that the productfilling system 100 is not limited to this particular configuration. Forexample, the system 100 could include motors inside the primary feedingbelts 106 a-106 b.

The first camera system 108 is located in proximity to the primaryfeeding belts 106 a-106 e to inspect each of the plurality of productsin the holders. Preferably, the first camera system 108 is disposedabove the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e for inspecting a firstportion, such as a top side, of the products. The first camera system108 is configured to inspect the products on each primary feeding belt106 a-106 e independently. Inspecting of the products can include, forexample, an evaluation of the color and shape of the product, adetermination of whether a product is present, and/or a determination ofwhether the product is broken or chipped. The evaluation can be used todistinguish the product from, for example, a different product that mayhave been earlier or is simultaneously being distributed within thesystem 100 to designated containers. The first camera system 108 can be,for example, a scanware Lynx-Spectra system for performing full colorinspection or a scanware Lynx-11 system for performing black and whiteinspection. Further, the first camera system 108 can include separatefirst cameras (see FIG. 2) respectively disposed above the primaryfeeding belts 106 a-106 e as well as a single camera for all or some ofthe belts 106 a-106 e.

The first camera system 108 can further be configured to count thenumber of products judged to be defective and the number of productsjudged to not be defective. Alternatively, a separate count sensor canbe located near the first camera system 108 to perform the counting. Thefirst camera system 108 (or the separate counter sensor) preferablysends data regarding the count and the inspection to a memory associatedwith the controller 128 so that it can independently control the primaryfeeding belts 106 a-106 e based upon the data. The driving device 126can move all of the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e to start a feedcycle together, but some belts may be stopped by the controller 128before others as each belt reaches a correct product count.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the second multi-lane conveyor 110 also includes aplurality of belts 110 a-110 e, which will be referred to here astransfer belts. The transfer belts 110 a-110 e can be, for example,urethane based belts that are machined to a specific format to haveapertures 406 (see FIGS. 4A-4B) or cavities (product storing means) foraccommodating the products. The transfer belts 110 a-110 e aremechanically and electrically aligned with the primary feeding belts 106a-106 e and synchronized with the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e sothat the products can be smoothly transferred from the holding devices402 to apertures 406 of the transfer belts 110 a-110 e. Particularly,the timing of the movement of the transfer belts 110 a-110 e and theprimary feeding belts 106 a-106 e should be sufficiently synchronized sothat a product in one of the holding devices arrives at an aperture ofthe transfer belt 110. Although in this example five transfer belts 110a-110 e are shown, it should be appreciated that the product fillingsystem 100 is not limited to this number.

A driving device 130 is coupled to the transfer belts 110 a-110 e forindependently moving each of the transfer belts 110 a-110 e based uponcontrol signals received from the controller 128. In this exemplaryembodiment, the driving device 130 includes a plurality of servo-motors130 a-130 e coupled respectively to the transfer belts 110 a-110 e. Thecontroller 128 can activate or de-activate a particular one of theservo-motors 130 a-130 e to move or stop movement of a respective one ofthe transfer belts 110 a-110 e.

The transfer belts 110 a-110 e can be coupled to a vacuum pump 202 (seeFIG. 2) so that the products can be stored on the transfer belts 110a-110 e in a state in which the products face downwards. That is, thevacuum pump 202 maintains the products in or on the apertures 406 of thetransfer belts 110 a-110 e. A defective product removal device such as,for example, a blow off device 204 (see FIG. 2), can be disposed inproximity to the transfer belts 110 a-110 e for removing products judgedto be defective. The pneumatic blow off device 202 can be controlled bythe same controller 128 that controls the servo-motors 130 a-130 e. Theblow off device 202 can be activated by the controller 128electronically (via control signals) or mechanically via mechanicalcoupling with, for example, the driving device 130. The blow off device202 can be a pneumatic blow off device 202. Alternatively, defectiveproduct removal device can be an electro-mechanical strip-off device.

The second camera system 112 is disposed below the second multi-laneconveyor 110 for inspection of a second portion, such as a bottom side,of the products. The second camera system 112 can also be configured tocount and inspect the products on each transfer belt independently, andto adjust the count when it judges a product judged to not be defectiveby the first camera as defective. Similarly to the first camera system108, the second camera system 112 can also be a Scanware Lynx-Spectrasystem or scanware Lynx-11 system and can include separate camerasrespectively disposed below the transfer belts 110 a-110 e.

The rejection receptacle 114 is disposed below the second multi-laneconveyor 110 for receiving products judged to be defective by either thefirst camera system 108 or second camera system 112. The rejectionreceptacle 114 can include a verification sensor 206 (see FIG. 2)coupled to the controller 128 to verify that products judged asdefective were actually received by the rejection receptacle 114. Thecontroller 128 can be configured to independently control the primaryfeeding belts 106 a-106 e and the transfer belts 110 a-110 e based uponthe verification performed by the verification sensor 206.

The stationary funnels 116 are for receiving products judged not to bedefective by the first camera system 108 and second camera system 112from the transfer belts 110 a-110 e of the second multi-lane conveyor110. A beam sensor 208 (see FIG. 2) can be disposed above the stationaryfunnels 112 to verify that the products actually passed into the funnels116 and to verify the product count. The stationary funnels 116 candistribute the products to containers 118 disposed below the stationaryfunnels 116. The controller 128 can be configured to independentlycontrol the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e and the transfer belts 110a-110 e based upon the verification performed by the beam sensor 208.For example, when a container 118 at a particular transfer belt receivesa predetermined number of the product, that particular transfer belt canbe stopped, while transfer belts of containers which have not yetreceived the predetermined number of the products continue to be moved.It should be noted that the stationary funnels 116 are optional.

The product filling system 100 will now be discussed with reference tothe block diagram of FIG. 2. The system 100 can include one or moremotion controllers 210 coupled between the controller 128 and the drivedevices 126, 130 to perform independent control of the primary feedingbelts 106 a-106 e of the first multi-lane conveyor 106 and the transferbelts 110 a-110 e of the second multi-lane conveyor 110. The motioncontroller 210 can be, for example, an Allen Bradley servo drive orequivalent device. The motion controllers 210 and the motors 126, 130can all be considered a drive device.

The controller 128 is also coupled to bottom side and top sideinspection vision system controllers 212, 214 for performing control andcollecting data from the individual cameras of the first and secondcameras systems 108, 112. The inspection vision system controllers 212,214 can be a PC/frame grabber combination with vision software.

The controller 128 is also coupled to the flood feeder 104 to controlthe feeding of the products onto the first multi-lane conveyer 106. Forexample, the controller 128 can control the brushes and stirring headsof the flood feeder 104.

The controller 128 is also coupled to the reject verification sensor 206and the fill/count verification sensor 208. As discussed above, theverification sensor 206 verifies that products judged as defective wereactually received by the rejection receptacle 114. A number of theverification sensors 206 can be respectively disposed between each ofthe transfer belts 110 a-110 e and the rejection receptacle 114 toperform independent verification for each lane. Similarly, a number ofthe beam sensors 208 can be respectively disposed between each of thetransfer belts 110 a-110 e and the containers 118 to perform independentverification that products were deposited in a container for each lane.

The controller 128 can also be coupled to an operator interface/humanmachine interface (HMI) 216 so that a user can view the data collectedby the various sensors and cameras, and perform manual control of, forexample, the drive device (motion controllers 210 and the motors 126,130) or the vacuum pump 202.

The controller 128 executes instructions stored in an associated memoryto control the belts based upon, for example, data from the first andsecond camera systems 108, 112, data from the beam or verificationsensors, or control instructions received from the operator interface210. For example, the controller 128 can control the transfer belts 110a-110 e so that movement of one of the transfer belts 110 a-110 e issuspended when the second camera system 112 has counted a predeterminednumber of products judged to be not defective for the one of thetransfer belts 110 a-110 e. Particularly, when a particular container atthe transfer belt receives a predetermined number of the products, or is‘full’, the controller 128 can stop movement of that particular transferbelt. In another example, if the verification sensor 206 cannot verifythat a defective product was received by the rejection receptacle 114,the controller 128 can stop the system 100 and operation can besuspended until reset by authorized personnel to thereby preventdefective products from entering the containers.

The controller 128 can be coupled to the various components by, forexample, a bus or other conventional means. Each of the first and secondcameras 108, 112 and various sensors can be configured to output datasuch as inspection results and counting data to the associated memory.The controller 128 can include various logical elements such as a shiftregister and flags for storing the various results such as count andinspection data to create a virtual representation of the products onthe conveyors.

Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary method of operating the productfilling system 100 will be discussed in which tablets as the product areinspected. Initially, at 305, the tablets are inserted into the producthopper 120 in bulk. The vibratory feeder 124 coupled to the producthopper 120 feeds the tablets into the flood feeder 104. At 310, theflood feeder 104 distributes the tablets onto the primary feeding belts106 a-106 e of the first multi-lane conveyor 106. The flood feeder 104aids in filling as many of the holders 406 of the primary feeding belts106 a-106 e as possible. The tablets are stored in the holders 406 onthe primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e in a state in which a firstportion of the tablets faces in a first direction. That is, the tabletsare stored in the holders or fixtures of the primary feeding beltsfacing upwards.

At 315, the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e are driven by theservomotors 126 a-126 e or other type of motor so that the tablets passunder the first camera system 108 for inspecting a first portion such asthe top side of the tablets. The first camera system 108 judges whetherthe first portion of the tablets is defective, non-defective or missing,and counts each defective or non-defective tablet.

After the inspection, at 320 the tablets are transferred from theprimary feeding belts 106 a-106 e of the first multi-lane conveyor 106to the transfer belts 110 a-110 e of the second conveyor 110. Here, thevacuum pump 202 can pick up the tablets from the primary feeding belts106 a-106 e and maintain the tablets suspended on the transfer belts 110a-110 e in a state in which a second portion of the tablets faces in asecond direction (facing downwards).

At 325, the second camera 108 can inspect the second portion (reverseside) of the tablets while they are suspended on the transfer belts 110a-110 e. The second camera 108 also counts each tablet after inspection.

At 330, it is determined if the tablet is defective based upon theinspection performed by the first and second cameras 108, 114. If atablet is judged to be defective (YES at 330), at 340 it is releasedfrom the transfer belt into a particular one of the rejectionreceptacles 114. Here, the blow off device 204 can remove the tabletjudged to be defective to be deposited in the rejection receptacle 114.At 345, the reject verification sensors 206 in the rejection receptacles114 verify that the tablet judged to be defective is actually depositedinto the rejection receptacle 114. If the sensors 206 cannot verify thatthe tablet was deposited into the rejection receptacle (NO at 345), theproduct filling system 100 can be shutdown at 350

Returning to 330, if a tablet is determined not to be defective (NO at330), at 335 it is decoupled from the transfer belts so that it isdeposited into one of the containers 118 via the stationary funnels 116.At 355, the fill/count verification sensors 208 disposed in thestationary funnels 116 count the number of tablets inserted intorespective funnels. For example, when the count is greater than apredetermined number of tablets (NO at 350), the product filling system100 can be temporarily shutdown at 355 so that a container can beremoved, or a container can be maintained at a particular transfer beltlonger than containers at adjacent belts in order to continue to addmore tablets. Otherwise, each of the transfer belts 116 a-116 e continueto be driven by the motors 130 until a predetermined number of thetablets are counted and inserted into a respective funnel at the end ofthe transfer belts.

Returning to 330, the determination of whether a tablet is defective canbe done based upon parameters input to the controller 128 by a user atthe operator interface 210. For example, a tablet may be judged to bedefective if both or one of the sides of the tablet do not conform to acertain shape or color. That is, a product may be judged to be defectivenot due to a manufacturer error, but because it is not the productintended for a particular container. For example, if the system 100 wasused to inspect and distribute a first type of tablets for a certainprescription medicine at a first time period, there is a chance that thefirst type of tablets may remain in the system 100 even when it is beingused at a later time to inspect and distribute a second type of tablets.In this case, the camera systems 108, 112 can be configured to recognizethe first type of tablets so that it is immediately judged as defectivewhen the system 100 is being used to inspect and distribute the secondtype of tablets. In another example, the system 100 can be used torecognize tablets that are defective due to a manufacturer error.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-4B the junction between the first and secondmulti-lane conveyers 106, 112 will be discussed in more detail. Theholders 402 of the primary feeding belts 106 a-106 e store the tablets404 in a state in which a top (first) portion of the products facesupwards (in a first direction). When the holders 402 arrive under thetransfer belts 110 a-110 e, the vacuum pump 202 (FIG. 2) draws thetablets 404 from the holders 406 to the apertures 406 of the transferbelts 106 a-106 e. That is, the vacuum pump 202 can apply vacuum to theapertures 406 so that the tablets 404 are stored on the transfer belts110 a-110 e in a state in which a bottom (second) portion of theproducts faces downwards (in a second direction) as shown in FIG. 4B.

Therefore, the present disclosure concerns a product filling system 100comprising: a controller 128; a driving device 126, 130 coupled to thecontroller 128; a multi-lane conveyor 110 including a plurality of beltsindependently movable by the driving device, each of the plurality ofbelts including product storing means 406 for storing a plurality ofproducts 404; and a camera system 214 coupled to the controller 128 anddisposed in proximity to the plurality of belts to inspect each of theplurality of products, wherein the controller 128 is configured tocontrol the driving device 126, 130 to independently move each of theplurality of belts.

The driving device 126, 130 can include a plurality of motors 130respectively coupled to the plurality of belts, and the controller 128can be configured to activate or de-activate a particular one of theplurality of motors to achieve independent motion.

A vacuum pump 202 can be coupled to the controller 128 for maintainingthe products on the belts of the multi-lane conveyor while the camerasystem 214 performs the inspection. The product storing means 406 ispreferably a plurality of apertures 405 for receiving vacuum from thevacuum pump 202.

A blow-off device 204 can release the products from the plurality ofbelts; and a counting sensor such as the verification sensor 208 or thereject verification sensor 206 is coupled to the controller and disposedin proximity to the plurality of belts for counts a number of theproducts released from the plurality of belts.

The product filling system can include another multi-lane conveyor 106including a plurality of primary feeding belts independently movable bythe driving device 126, 210, each of the plurality of primary feedingbelts including a plurality of holders 402 for storing the plurality ofproducts; and another camera system 108 coupled to the controller 128and disposed in proximity to the plurality of primary feeding belts toinspect each of the plurality of products. The controller 128 can beconfigured to control the driving device 126, 210 to independently moveeach of the plurality of primary feeding belts.

The another camera system 108 inspects a first portion of the pluralityof products and the camera system 112 inspects a second portion of theplurality of products. The another camera system 108 can include aplurality of first cameras disposed to inspect the first portion of theproducts in the holders of the plurality of primary feeding belts, andthe camera system 112 include a plurality of second cameras disposed toinspect the second portion of the products on the plurality of transferbelts. The controller can be configured to independently controlmovement of a particular one of the plurality of primary feeding beltsand the plurality of transfer belts based upon an inspection performedby its respective first camera or second camera.

The camera systems 108, 112 judge whether the product is defective ornot defective and count the number of products judged to be defectiveand the number of products judged to not be defective. The controller128 is configured to control the driving device 126, 210 toindependently move each of the plurality of belts in accordance with thecount performed by the camera system and the another camera system.

That is, although the system 100 shown in FIG. 1A has two multi-laneconveyors, the system 100 could alternatively have a single multi-laneconveyor. For example, the system 100 could only include the secondmulti-lane conveyor 110.

The disclosure also concerns a product filling system 100 comprising: aprimary feeding belt 106 a-106 e having holders 402 for storing productsin a state in which a first portion of the products faces in a firstdirection; a first camera system 108 configured to inspect the firstportion of the products on the primary feeding belt; a transfer belt 110a-110 e for receiving the products from the primary feeding belt, thetransfer belt including apertures 406 for storing the products in astate in which a second portion of the products faces in a seconddirection; a second camera system 112 configured to inspect the secondportion of the products on the transfer belt 110 a-110 e; and acontroller 128 coupled to the first and second camera systems 108, 112,the controller 128 configured to independently control the primaryfeeding belt 106 a-106 e and the transfer belt 110 a-110 e.

The system 100 can include a vacuum pump 202 for providing vacuum to theapertures 406 to maintain the products on the transfer belt while thesecond camera system inspects the second portion. A counting sensor 208coupled to the controller and disposed in proximity to the transfer beltcounts a number of the products removed from the transfer belt, and thecontroller can be configured to independently control the primaryfeeding belt and the transfer belt based upon the count performed by thecounting sensor 208.

A rejection receptacle 114 coupled to the transfer belt receivesproducts based upon the inspection performed by one of the first andsecond camera systems, and a verification sensor 206 coupled to thecontroller and disposed in proximity to the rejection receptacleverifies reception of the products by the rejection receptacle. Thecontroller 128 can be configured to independently control the primaryfeeding belt and the transfer belt based upon the verification performedby the verification sensor.

The controller can be configured to control movement of the primaryfeeding belt and the transfer belt based upon the inspection performedby the first camera system or the second camera system, particularlywhether the product is defective or not defective and count the numberof products judged to be defective and the number of products judged tonot be defective.

That is, although the system 100 shown in FIG. 1A has two multi-laneconveyors which each include multiple belts, the system 100 couldalternatively have two multi-lane conveyors which each include only asingle belt.

The disclosure also concerns a product filling system 100 comprising abelt including storage means for storing the products in a state inwhich a portion of the products faces in a predetermined direction; acamera system configured to inspect the portion of the products on thebelt and to count the number of inspected products; a counting sensordisposed in proximity to the belt for counting a number of the productsreleased from the belt; and a controller configured to control the beltbased upon the counting performed by the counting sensor and the camerasystem.

A rejection receptacle receives products based upon the inspectionperformed by the camera system and a verification sensor coupled to thecontroller and disposed in proximity to the rejection receptacle toverify reception of the products by the rejection receptacle. Thecontroller is further configured to control the belt based upon theverification performed by the verification sensor. A vacuum pump coupledto the controller for maintaining the products on the belt while thefirst camera system performs the inspection, and the controller isconfigured to control the belt based upon the inspection performed bythe camera system.

That is, although the system 100 shown in FIG. 1A has two multi-laneconveyors which each include multiple belts, the system 100 couldalternatively have a single multi-lane conveyor multi-lane conveyorswhich includes only a single belt.

This disclosure is intended to explain how to fashion and use variousembodiments in accordance with the invention rather than to limit thetrue, intended, and fair scope and spirit thereof. The invention isdefined solely by the appended claims, as they may be amended during thependency of this application for patent, and all equivalents thereof.The foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variationsare possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment(s) waschosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principlesof the invention and its practical application, and to enable one ofordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations arewithin the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims,as may be amended during the pendency of this application for patent,and all equivalents thereof, when interpreted in accordance with thebreadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

1. A product filling system comprising: a controller; a driving devicecoupled to the controller; a multi-lane conveyor including a pluralityof belts independently movable by the driving device, each of theplurality of belts including product storing means for storing aplurality of products; and a camera system coupled to the controller,the camera system disposed in proximity to the plurality of belts toinspect each of the plurality of products, wherein the controller isconfigured to control the driving device to independently move each ofthe plurality of belts.
 2. The product filling system of claim 1,wherein the driving device includes a plurality of motors respectivelycoupled to the plurality of belts, wherein the controller is configuredto activate or de-activate a particular one of the plurality of motorsto independently move each of the plurality of belts.
 3. The productfilling system of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum pump coupled tothe controller for maintaining the products on the belts of themulti-lane conveyor while the camera system performs the inspection,wherein the product storing means includes a plurality of apertures forreceiving vacuum from the vacuum pump.
 4. The product filling system ofclaim 3, further comprising: a blow-off device for releasing theproducts from the plurality of belts; and a counting sensor coupled tothe controller and disposed in proximity to the plurality of belts forcounting a number of the products released from the plurality of belts.5. The product filling system of claim 4, further comprising averification sensor coupled to the controller and disposed in proximityto a rejection receptacle to verify release of the products by theblow-off device.
 6. The product filling system of claim 1, furthercomprising: another multi-lane conveyor including a plurality of primaryfeeding belts independently movable by the driving device, each of theplurality of primary feeding belts including a plurality of holders forstoring the plurality of products; and another camera system coupled tothe controller and disposed in proximity to the plurality of primaryfeeding belts to inspect each of the plurality of products, wherein thecontroller is configured to control the driving device to independentlymove each of the plurality of primary feeding belts.
 7. The productfilling system of claim 6, wherein the another camera system inspects afirst portion of the plurality of products and the camera systeminspects a second portion of the plurality of products.
 8. The productfilling system of claim 7, wherein the another camera system includes aplurality of first cameras disposed to inspect the first portion of theplurality of products in the holders of the plurality of primary feedingbelts, and the camera system include a plurality of second camerasdisposed to inspect the second portion of the plurality of products onthe plurality of transfer belts, wherein the controller is configured toindependently control movement of a particular one of the plurality ofprimary feeding belts and the plurality of transfer belts based upon aninspection performed by its respective one of the plurality of firstcameras or the plurality of second cameras.
 9. The product fillingsystem of claim 7, wherein the camera system and the another camerasystem judge whether the product is defective or not defective and countthe number of products judged to be defective and the number of productsjudged to not be defective, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the driving device to independently move each of the pluralityof belts in accordance with the count performed by the camera system andthe another camera system.
 10. A product filling system comprising: aprimary feeding belt having holders for storing products in a state inwhich a first portion of the products faces in a first direction; afirst camera system configured to inspect the first portion of theproducts on the primary feeding belt; a transfer belt for receiving theproducts from the primary feeding belt, the transfer belt includingapertures for storing the products in a state in which a second portionof the products faces in a second direction; a second camera systemconfigured to inspect the second portion of the products on the transferbelt; and a controller coupled to the first and second camera systems,the controller configured to independently control the primary feedingbelt and the transfer belt.
 11. The product filling system of claim 10,further comprising a vacuum pump for providing vacuum to the aperturesto maintain the products on the transfer belt while the second camerasystem inspects the second portion.
 12. The product filling system ofclaim 10, further comprising: a counting sensor coupled to thecontroller and disposed in proximity to the transfer belt for counting anumber of the products removed from the transfer belt, wherein thecontroller is configured to independently control the primary feedingbelt and the transfer belt based upon the count performed by thecounting sensor.
 13. The product filling system of claim 10, furthercomprising a rejection receptacle coupled to the transfer belt forreceiving products based upon the inspection performed by one of thefirst and second camera systems.
 14. The product filling system of claim13, further comprising a verification sensor coupled to the controllerand disposed in proximity to the rejection receptacle to verifyreception of the products by the rejection receptacle, wherein thecontroller is configured to independently control the primary feedingbelt and the transfer belt based upon the verification performed by theverification sensor.
 15. The product filling system of claim 10, whereinthe controller is configured to control movement of the primary feedingbelt and the transfer belt based upon the inspection performed by thefirst camera system or the second camera system.
 16. The product fillingsystem of claim 10, wherein the first and second camera systems judgewhether the product is defective or not defective and count the numberof products judged to be defective and the number of products judged tonot be defective, wherein the controller is configured to controlmovement of the primary feeding belt and the transfer belt based uponthe inspection and the count performed by the first camera system or thesecond camera system.
 17. A product filling system comprising: a beltincluding storage means for storing the products in a state in which aportion of the products faces in a predetermined direction; a camerasystem configured to inspect the portion of the products on the belt andto count the number of inspected products; a counting sensor disposed inproximity to the belt for counting a number of the products releasedfrom the belt; and a controller configured to control the belt basedupon the counting performed by the counting sensor and the camerasystem.
 18. The product filling system of claim 17, further comprising arejection receptacle for receiving products based upon the inspectionperformed by the camera system.
 19. The product filling system of claim18, further comprising a verification sensor coupled to the controllerand disposed in proximity to the rejection receptacle to verifyreception of the products by the rejection receptacle, wherein thecontroller is further configured to control the belt based upon theverification performed by the verification sensor.
 20. The productfilling system of claim 17, further comprising a vacuum pump coupled tothe controller for maintaining the products on the belt while the firstcamera system performs the inspection.
 21. The product filling system ofclaim 17, wherein the controller is configured to control the belt basedupon the inspection performed by the camera system.
 22. A productfilling system comprising: a first multi-lane conveyor for receivingproducts, the first multi-lane conveyor including a plurality ofindependently movable primary feeding belts having holding devices forstoring the products in a state in which a first portion of the productsfaces in a first direction; a first camera system configured to inspectthe first portion of the products on the plurality of primary feedingbelts of the first multi-lane conveyor; a second multi-lane conveyor forreceiving the products from the first multi-lane conveyor, the secondmulti-lane conveyor including a plurality of independently movabletransfer belts having apertures for storing the products in a state inwhich a second portion of the products faces in a second direction; asecond camera system configured to inspect the second portion of theproducts on the plurality of transfer belts of the second multi-laneconveyor; and a controller configured to independently control each ofthe primary feeding belts and the transfer belts.
 23. The productfilling system of claim 22, wherein the first and second camera systemsjudge whether each of the products is defective or not defective. 24.The product filling system of claim 23, further comprising a rejectionreceptacle for receiving products judged to be defective by one of thefirst camera system and the second camera system.
 25. The productfilling system of claim 22, wherein the second camera system is furtherconfigured to count the products judged to be not defective for each ofthe transfer belts, and the controller is further configured to suspendmovement of one of the transfer belts when the second camera system hascounted a predetermined number of products judged to be not defectivefor the one of the transfer belts.
 26. A method of inspecting productsand distributing inspected products into containers, the methodcomprising: distributing the products on a first multi-lane conveyorincluding a plurality of independently controlled primary feeding beltsin a state in which a first portion of the products faces in a firstdirection; inspecting the first portion of the products to judge if theproducts are defective or not defective; distributing the products on asecond multi-lane conveyor including a plurality of independentlycontrolled transfer belts in a state in which a second portion of theproducts faces in a second direction; inspecting the second portion ofthe products to judge if the products are defective or not defective;and filling the containers with the products judged to be not defectivebased upon the inspecting of the first portion and based upon theinspecting of the second portion.
 27. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising counting a number of the products judged to be defective ornot defective.
 28. The method of claim 27, depositing products judged tobe defective in a rejection receptacle.
 29. The method of claim 28,further comprising verifying that a number of the products deposited inthe rejection receptacle is equal to the number of products judged to bedefective.